Sponsors (2)
The bill increases speech, religious, and institutional autonomy in graduate medical education and limits accreditor-driven diversity requirements, while risking reduced DEI funding and support, legal uncertainty for schools, and potential harms to diversity and campus climate.
Students in graduate medical programs are protected from being forced to affirm ideological tenets as a condition of enrollment or benefits, preserving individual conscience and viewpoint freedom.
Graduate medical programs and hospitals gain greater stability and autonomy because accreditors cannot force policies that conflict with the Act, reducing sudden accreditor-driven changes to training pathways.
Students, faculty, and institutions retain broad First Amendment protections for speech, assemblies, and invited speakers on campus, protecting academic expression and campus events.
Graduate medical schools that maintain DEI offices or require diversity statements risk losing federal funds or student loan eligibility, which could reduce program offerings, financial aid, and access to training.
Limits on DEI programs and race‑conscious initiatives may reduce targeted recruitment and support for underrepresented students, worsening diversity in medical schools and long-term workforce diversity.
Broad and partly vague definitions (e.g., 'functional equivalent' DEI offices, non‑construction language) create legal ambiguity and compliance costs for institutions, diverting resources from education and patient care.
Based on analysis of 5 sections of legislative text.
Conditions federal funds and federal student-loan eligibility for graduate medical schools on certifications banning compelled ideological tenets, DEI offices, and diversity statements; accreditor assurances required.
Official title: Amend the Higher Education Act of 1965 to prohibit graduate medical schools from receiving Federal financial assistance if such schools adopt certain policies and requirements relating to diversity, equity, and inclusion.
Introduced May 20, 2025 by John Neely Kennedy · Last progress May 20, 2025
Conditions receipt of federal funds and federal student loan eligibility for graduate medical schools on certifications that the school will not require or coerce faculty, staff, or students to affirm certain ideological statements about systemic racism, oppression, or collective guilt; will not create or use DEI offices or require diversity statements; and will comply with federal civil‑rights laws. It also requires accrediting organizations that evaluate graduate medical education to demonstrate they do not condition accreditation on policies that conflict with those certifications, and includes construction, religious‑freedom, and severability rules.